A
small, cryptic, barely legible inscription just below the artist's signature on
the 1785 Delapierre portrait has puzzled researchers for many years (see images
on the right). By one interpretation, it might have a bearing on the Thomas
Jefferson attribution.

The
last three letters of the cryptic inscription below the signature are probably
"…tin." But the preceding letters in the inscription are enigmatic.

One
possibility is that the two characters just before "tin" are
"An"—spelling the word "Antin."

In the context of other possible correlations with Thomas Jefferson, this might refer to the location where the painting was done
or where the subject lived.1

From 17 October 1784 through 16 October 1785,
Jefferson resided—according to a lease he signed on 16 October 17842—in
an apartment at "rue et Cul de sac Taitbout" in the "Chaussée d'Antin" district of Paris (see image below).3 (Although Jefferson signed a nine-year lease, he later changed his mind and, on
17 October 1785, took up residence at the Hôtel de Langeac in
Paris.4)

Detail from Thomas Jefferson's 16 October 1784 lease for a hotel apartment in the "Chaussée d'Antin" district of Paris.[5] He resided there from 17 October 1784 through 16 October 1785. (Image from Archives Nationale, Minutier Central des Notaires de la Seine, fonds LXXIX, 244, courtesy of Maitre Vigier, Photo. Soc. Fr. du Microfilm.)

If
the inscription were confirmed to refer to Jefferson's "Chaussée d'Antin" residence in Paris, the painting could be
dated to sometime between 17 May 1785 (the date the book shown in the painting
was printed) and 16 October 1785 (the date Jefferson left the "Chaussée d'Antin" district).

But the cryptic character at the very beginning of
the inscription on the portrait appears to be a lower-case "n" or "r" rather
than a "c" (for "Chaussée" [roadway]). This makes the
interpretation above problematic.6

Other possible explanations include that the inscription was added by an
owner of the portrait or by an exhibitor; that it refers to a title held by the
artist; that it refers to where the artist lived or worked; or that it relates
to the name of a sitter other than Thomas Jefferson.

Ugo Bardini's Discussion of the Cryptic Writing

One of the owners of the painting, Ugo
Bardini,
attempted to decipher this writing, referring to it in a letter dated 18
October 19277 to "Sg. Brémont"—probably Henri Brémont,
formerly Count Enrico Bosdari:8

[Translated from Italian] Thank you for your letter of 19 [September] past, and for the information contained in
the letter to my sister about the painting of de La
Pierre. I forgot to tell you that, looking at the picture in a better light, I
could clearly read "La Pierre" and not "Paul." It was impossible, on the other
hand, to decipher the other word written
below the signature.9 Mr. "Volorn" [sp?] (American living in Paris – art writer – passionate about French 18th century) will assist with the
examination of the painting, of which he thinks highly even though the artist
is unknown to him.10

In a follow-up letter to Sg. Brémont, dated 27 October 1927,11 Ugo continued:

[Translated
from Italian] I'm sending you a
not-very-good photo of the de La Pierre painting
because I am very interested in this virtually unknown artist. I will try to
decipher the word under the signature.

And in yet another letter to Sg. Brémont, dated 9 November 1927,12 Ugo wrote:

[Translated
from Italian] Mr. Paulme's13opinion
interests me. I would like to know if the difference in technique one sees in
my picture (thick in the skin, a bit thin and diffused in the rest) is typical
of de La Pierre. I cannot decipher the wordswritten below the signature.If they hold an exhibition in Paris of
private 18th-century paintings, I shall willingly send mine.

The research team has found no further
letters from Ugo Bardini that discuss the cryptic
writing, and there are no indications that he ever deciphered it.14

References and notes

[1] The signature block on at least one other Delapierre portrait contains
writing that might refer to the location where the painting was done or where
the subject lived. Musée Magnin in Dijon, France,
possesses a portrait of an elderly lady signed "De La Pierre" and dated "1799."
Two letters at the end of the signature—"ln,"
or possibly "Ln"—may signify "Lyon," where Delapierre is thought to have
resided at the time.

[2]The Papers of
Thomas Jefferson, Volume 7, edited by Julian P. Boyd, Princeton University
Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1953, pp. 442-443. See also plate following page
452 for street abbreviations, and note on page xxviii for explanation of the
street map on page 452 that includes Thomas Jefferson's residence. The map is
Plate No. VII in Atlas des Plans de la Censive de l'Archeveche dans Paris, by
Rittman and Junie, completed in 1786.

[6] Contemporary maps
used the letter "R" as an abbreviation for "rue" (road). In particular, a map
showing the vicinity where Jefferson lived abbreviated "Rue et Chaussée d'Antin" as "R et Chee d'Antin" (see note 2 above).
But that does not appear to match the cryptic inscription on the Delapierre
portrait.

[9] The
painting probably underwent thorough cleaning and preservation sometime after Ugo Bardini wrote this correspondence, because the artist's full
signature ("B.N. de la Pierre") is now clear—as are the last three
letters of the cryptic inscription below the signature ("…tin").

[10] The research team has been unable to identify "Mr. Volorn" or locate any of
his writings. They also are uncertain of the spelling of the name, as
transcribed from Ugo Bardini's 18 October 1927 letter. Other possible spellings include "Volom."

[14] Ugo Bardini sold the framed painting to the London art dealer Thos. Agnew & Sons for 5,000 lire
(about $263) on 1 October 1928. He enclosed a copy of the "opinion" expressed
by Mr. Paulme. Although the Thos. Agnew & Sons ledger contains a pencil annotation ("See
paper copy of Paulme's opinion") indicating that they
received this document, Agnew's has not been able to locate it.

Detail from Thos. Agnew & Sons ledger entry
for 1785 Delapierre portrait. The reference to "Paulme's opinion" is written in
pencil. (Courtesy of Agnew's, London.)